Tempe council overturns Historic Preservation Commission, clears partial demolition of First Congregational Church site

The Tempe City Council voted 6-0 Wednesday to approve an appeal of the Historic Preservation Commission’s decision and allow the demolition of non‑sanctuary portions of the First Congregational Church property at 101 E. Sixth St., while keeping the sanctuary portion and pursuing relocation of the Harry Walker House. Vice Mayor Lauren Garland moved to approve the appeal; Councilmember Hodge seconded. The vote was 6-0 with Councilmember Keating absent.

Council and staff said the action preserves the church’s most distinctive element while allowing a private development team to proceed with a planned 29‑story mixed‑use project on the larger site. Ryan LeVake, deputy director for community development planning, told council the Historic Preservation Commission denied the demolition and certificate-of-appropriateness requests at its March 12, 2025 meeting by a 7‑1 vote, but that staff had negotiated a development approach intended to preserve the sanctuary and relocate the nationally registered Harry Walker House.

Darren Sender of Sender Associates, the appellant and applicant, said the project team has worked with the city for several years and that their revised proposal keeps the sanctuary intact and relocates the Walker House. “We are committed through our development agreement to replace all of that, to make it whole, and make sure the roof structure everything is safe as well as a structural integrity of that building,” Sender said during the hearing. Representatives from Wexford and development partner POUR were in the audience and identified themselves as members of the development team.

Council members who supported the appeal said the developer’s commitments — preserving the sanctuary, moving the Walker House and transferring preserved elements to the city — struck the right balance between preservation and downtown redevelopment. Mayor Corey Woods said the denial by the Historic Preservation Commission would only place a limited stay on demolition and would not prevent demolition in perpetuity if ownership changed; that risk helped motivate his support for the appeal. Vice Mayor Garland and multiple councilmembers compared the proposal to earlier downtown preservation projects where parts of historic properties were retained while new development moved forward.

The council listed three options before the vote: approve the appeal (overturn the HPC), deny the appeal (uphold the HPC), or remand the matter back to the HPC for more consideration. By approving the appeal, council effectively authorized the two certificate‑of‑appropriateness requests as presented to the council. The development team and city staff said the plan includes transferring the sanctuary portion to the city and finding a city‑designated site and schedule to relocate the Walker House.

The Historic Preservation Commission’s denial stemmed in part from archival research and concern that some non‑sanctuary elements retained integrity from the 1948–1953 era and were designed by architect Kemper Goodwin. Staff cited earlier downtown precedents — including a development where a large share of a building was removed while preserving a historic element that now serves a public use — as examples of a compromise the city has allowed in other projects.

No public testimony was offered during the hearing portion dedicated to the item. The record in the hearing includes references to prior demolition permit requests in 2017 and 2020 and a six‑month stay issued by the Historic Preservation Commission on an earlier permit. Council members and staff said the developer later expanded the project site by acquiring adjacent parcels, which created new options for preserving the sanctuary and relocating the Walker House.

Next steps noted by staff include finalizing the development agreement terms and specific preservation and relocation details for the sanctuary and Walker House; those implementation steps and any required permits will return to staff and, where required, to council for approval.